Improved animal-trap



tintedv getting JULiUs BRANCH, or Moonns, NEW YORK;

Letters Patent No.- 94,708,'dated September 14, 1869.

IMPROVED ANIMAL-TRAP.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thelame.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JULIUS BRANCH, of Mooers, in the county of Clinton,and State of New York, have in vented certain new and usefulImprovements in Animal- Traps; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact desciiptiou thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, and to the letters of `reference marked thereon, likeletters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

lo enable others skilled in the art to'construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to animal-traps; and consists in a novel manner ofconstructing and arranginga trap in which each animal caught resets thetrap for another.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sec-tion, throughthe centre of my trap, and

1l` igure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

In constructing my trap, I -rst build a large box or body, A, providedat one end with a sliding door, a., and also with gratings b, for theadmission' of light.

Through one side of the box I make an opening, and insert the end of atrough or passage-way, B, as shown in gs.` 1 and 2. v Y

Across in the passage B, in line with the side of the box A, I locate ahinged grating or gate, D, hung from the rock-shaftj, and completelyclosing the passage, but the lower end of which may be raised, as shownin dotted lines in fig. 1. A

Across the passage B, I place a rock-shaft, k, lying horizontal, and'parallel with shaft j.

To this shaft k, I attach the board or drop C, extending from shaft j tothe outer end of the passage, and having-at the outer end a dependingportion, of the size ofthe passage, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.'

On the'endv of shaft 7c, I form au' arm, d, extending midway to shaft j,and having its end turned outward, at right angles; and on the end ofshaft j, I form an arm, e, reaching forward and overlying the projectingend of arm d, as shown iii figs. 1 and 2.

Through the drop C, just forward of shaft k, I make a hole, i, and overthe passage, above the drop, I secure a bow or cross-bar, f, thiscross-bar having attached to it a depending-Steiner trigger, g, whichextends down through the holet'in the drop, and to near the bottom ofthe passage-way.

Near the middle of the trigger or stem, I form a shoulder, and on itslowerend form a hook or barb, to which the bait can be readily secured.

My trap, thus constructed,operates as follows:

To set it, the outer end of the drop C is lifted until the shoulder ofthe stem, g engages under the edge of the hole i. The bait is thenhooked onto the stem, and the trap is ready.

The animal, attracted by the bait, passes in at the open end of thepassage B, and, seizing the bait, mofves the stem, and disengaging i-tsshoulder from the drop, allows the latter to fall, thus entrapping himsecurely within the passage-way.

The animal caught, in eudeavoring to escape, seeing light `through `thegrate D, passes through under it into the box A, in .doing which heraises the gate D,

throwing down its arm e, which in turn depresscs arm l d, and throws upthe drop G, which is held by stem g,

and the trap is again ready to-operate.'

The animal, after entering the box A, cannot return, as the gate closesafter him.

Having thus described my invention, What'I claim, is A trap, consistingof the box A, with the spout or passage-Way B, having the drop C,trigger g, rockshait k, with its arm d, and gate D, with its arm e, allconstructed and arranged to operate substantially as described. p

` J ULIUS BRANCH.

Witnesses:

T. HEFFERNA'N, GHAUNCEY VSK. Emmen.

